Monday, January 12, 2009

The Bank Account

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved
perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After
many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled
sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description
of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just
been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn' t have anything to do with it,' he replied.

Happiness is something y ou decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is
arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.
'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;
I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the
parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful
for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day
and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.

I am still depositing.

'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:


1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

5 comments:

JoJo said...

Joanne, I love this. I've known for a long time that you can either get up in a good mood --- or a bad one. As for me, I'm happy any day that I wake up on "this" side of the sod. Another truth I've learned is that people really don't want an entire litany of your aches and pains so if you absolutely MUST mention it, do it with humor.

My hubby and people who know me know when I'm hurting. After 3 days of constant running, ending with a hook-in, my hands are swollen to the size of salad plates and oh, yeah, they do "twinge" now and then, if you want to call it that...LOL.

But I'm playing catch-up on laundry, cleaning, etc. to I can go to my aunt's funeral in Omaha tomorrow. If I stay awake, it should be a nice drive (160 miles) and if not, well, Gerry will get me there safe and sound.

But am I happy today? Sure I am. I'm home, I'm getting stuff done and the sun's out today. My other woes are handled with pain meds.

All in all, it really IS a beautiful day and I'm happy to be alive!

Alice ~ Folk Art Primitives said...

I love the way this elderly gentlemen orders his life ~ many of us need to print it and post it where it can be read any time we need a boost ~ thanks for sharing~
Alice

Kathy (woolfind) said...

inspiring words to live by. Thanks Joanne...

Joanne said...

I thought it had a great message myself! Oh Jo-Jo - so glad you are "happy" even thru your pain - I know how you suffer from that! But your attitude takes you far! Sorry to hear about your Aunt - Give Gerry and those furry ones a big hug - When you get a chance, could you email me your address - I can't find it! I had wanted to send you a Christmas Card!

Alice - great idea - i think i will print it myself and keep on my cubby wall!

Kathy you are most welcome!

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